Healer
by zoklitsos
Summary: SasuSaku. As a Medic Nin, it's Sakura's duty to heal her patients' wounds. And as one of the top Medic Nins of Konoha, she's given some of the most difficult tasks. However, this particular patient proves to be her most difficult yet. Sakura isn't trained to heal wounds that go beyond the physical body.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** The last time I uploaded a fanfic was _5 years ago_. I was 12 then. I actually totally forgot about my old fanfics until I saw the occasional email from notifying me that someone reviewed or favorited my story. I saw my past stories and was absolutely horrified. So, I deleted them all. I saved them on my computer and may rewrite them in the future since some of them are actually finished, but what's really confusing is that most of my past stories were NaruSaku, when I have (for as long as I could remember) been a hardcore SasuSaku shipper. I admit, I strayed away from anime from a long time, but after moving to Japan I gained a soft spot in my heart for Naruto again, and caught up with it. I've also begun to read a lot more fanfiction (the famous _Blind_ and the lot) and became inspired to write a little myself, since I actually have the time for it. These fanfics aren't going to be anything serious - I have a basic plot outlined, but I'm more just experimenting with creative writing and writing about characters rather than all those literature analyses high school forces you to do. I'm not even sure if this will get updated (I mean seriously, my last update was in _2009_), but hopefully I finish this story, especially since I have the time for it. Anyways, this author's note is extremely long, but just a basic plotline focus around SasuSaku in a universe where the Great Shinobi War does not occur. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Sakura became aware of her consciousness as sunlight began to scatter throughout the room and the warmth hit her body. Her eyelids fluttered open, and the pink-haired kunoichi rolled onto her back, placing an arm over her head. It was days like these that Sakura cherished; the lazy Sundays when she could wake up whenever she wanted, and go about her errands at her own, relaxing pace.

However, Sakura's peace didn't last that long.

Her beautiful morning was soon interrupted by a loud, harsh knock on her apartment door. Sakura groaned as reluctantly got up, pulled a robe around herself, and ran a hand through her hair. She opened the door to rather unfamiliar face – it was one of Tsunade's messengers, but she never really got acquainted with the other ninja.

"Sakura-san, the Hokage requests your presence at your office immediately. It is an urgent matter." The other ninja gave a slight bow before he made his way off, probably to deliver more messages.

Sakura couldn't help but feel a little defeated. She knew whatever the Hokage had for her was important, but just _sometimes_ she wished she could have a peaceful day, especially with all those extra shifts she's been putting in at the hospital.

But Sakura pushed her selfish thoughts out of her mind and began her morning routine as quickly as possible. After changing into her signature red top and shorts, Sakura grabbed her kunai pouch and made her way down to the Hokage's office as fast as her chakra pumped legs could take her.

Sakura opened the door to the Hokage's officer and was surprised to find Naruto and Kakashi already there. She was half shocked with the fact that those two men had gotten here before her. Was she really that slow this morning? Like really, Kakashi was there before her? And then it hit her that this urgent meeting really _was _important – possibly even a little bit personal – if all of Team Kakashi was present. Naruto glanced at Sakura, and Tsunade gave her an acknowledging nod. Tsunade then folded her hands under her chin and took in a deep breath.

"Great, now that everyone's assembled, there's something important I need to tell Team Kakashi. No one is allowed to overreact, or make any loud or sudden movements. I command all of you to remain calm." Tsunade shifted her eyes towards Naruto. Kakashi stood lazily as usual, seemingly unaware of Tsunade's serious tone, while Sakura shifted her weight in her feet. Naruto huffed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Yeah, yeah, skip the formalities and just get on with it."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and stared directly at the three of them.

"Sasuke Uchiha is in Konoha."

* * *

Naruto and Sakura stormed out of Tsunade's office straight towards Konoha Hospital.

"I think the three of them need their privacy," Kakashi offered as Tsunade shot him a quizzical look, "I'll go see him later, if Naruto and Sakura haven't pummeled him to death first." Tsunade couldn't even begin her sentence as Kakashi already left her office. Kakashi never was one to go prodding into business he wasn't urgently involved in. He decided Naruto and Sakura could handle on their own for the time being.

Meanwhile, Sakura was taking full advantage of her position as a high ranking Medic Nin to grant access to all the information she needed to find Sasuke. Naruto loomed over Sakura's shoulder as she looked through the hospital's reception desk for Sasuke's room number.

"Room 512. Two guards posted outside. Let's go." Sakura grabbed Naruto's arm as the two of them racing down the hallway.

The two guards were dismissed without an objection. Being one of the top Medic Nin and Tsunade's former apprentice really had its perks. Sakura placed her hand on the door handle and released her breath that she didn't even realize she was holding in the first place. Naruto stood slightly behind her, placing his hand on top of hers. The two looked straight into each other's eyes before Naruto gave Sakura a quick nod and pushed down the door handle.

The two walked in only to be greeted by a heavily bandaged and unconscious Sasuke Uchiha. The two couldn't do anything but stare. _Seven years_. Seven years had gone by without any word from their former teammate, and here he was, Sasuke Uchiha in the flesh and blood. Sakura could hardly believe it. She took Naruto's hand and gave it a squeeze, as if she was asking for his reassurance that this was all real. Naruto began to walk forward in response.

Sakura was standing closest to Sasuke's head with Naruto to her left. Still holding his hand, Sakura reached out with her other hand and ran her fingers through Sasuke's hair, as if to make sure that Sasuke wasn't a ghost.

There was a heaviness in the room that no one knew how to get rid of. The only thing that was audible was the heart rate monitor, steadily beeping, making the two aware that the Uchiha was still alive.

Sasuke shifted in his bed and Sakura immediately retracted her hand. Naruto clenched her hand and stared at the unconscious shinobi. Sakura held her breath.

Dark eyelashes began to twitch as Sasuke slowly awakened. His gaze was met by his former teammates'. Sasuke let out a loud breath through his nose. Naruto's stance slackened and he grinned.

"I can't fucking believe it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes until they locked on the entwined fingers between Naruto and Sakura. He slowly rose and sat up, turning his head directly towards Naruto and Sakura.

_Slap._

It got even quieter. Sakura's hand was outstretched. Sasuke's head was turned away from it. Apparently, the drugs had a bigger toll on his reflexes than he expected. Sasuke glared straight at Sakura, his eyes demanding an explanation.

"Seven _fucking_ years." Sakura felt a surge of emotions swell up within her. She half expected herself to cry, but no. All she felt was anger. She was downright furious. She was furious that she could feel Sasuke's irritation. How dare he? Sakura glared back into those dark eyes.

Naruto cast a worried glance at Sakura. It was strange, usually Sakura was the peacemaker between Naruto and Sasuke, but it seemed as if the roles had been switched.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto gently brought Sakura's outstretched hand back down, "let him talk." Naruto gave her hand a squeeze while Sakura let out a frustrated sigh.

"What the hell happened to you, bastard?"

Sasuke broke his gaze from the two and stared down at his hands.

"Uchiha Itachi is dead." Sasuke couldn't help but give off a little smirk. Sakura looked down, fists curled into a ball.

"Is that why…" Naruto nodded towards Sasuke's bandaged body.

"Apparently I was found outside of Konoha. I didn't know how close I was to the city." Sakura paid note to the lack of emotion in Sasuke's voice. Still, after all these years, some things just don't change.

"So, what next?" Naruto was almost afraid to ask. Afraid to hear Sasuke's answer.

"What's next is that Uchiha stays in Konoha." The three of them turned to find Tsunade standing in the doorway, arms crossed. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the Godaime.

"You are still considered a Missing Ninja of Konoha, and therefore will be kept under our surveillance until you complete your punishment and we receive all the knowledge you have of Orochimaru and whatever else might aid this village." No one said anything in response. Tsunade walked towards the hospital bed, "You will be assigned a caretaker for your wounds, who will also double as a guard to make sure you don't leave the village again. As for your punishment," Tsunade gave a long look at Naruto and Sakura. She would never admit it, but her heart ached for those two. So young, yet to be involved in so much…

"It'll be determined later, depending on how well you behave during your time here." Tsunade saw Naruto and Sakura's shoulders relax. She knew the village elders wouldn't be happy with her decision, but she did it for Naruto and Sakura. Those two who she trusted so much. Those two who she trusted to bring Sasuke back.

Sasuke gave a smirk. He has committed so many criminal acts against Konoha, yet he was getting let off so easily? He almost wanted to laugh at how pathetic the Godaime was. He would be able to escape Konoha has soon as his wounds healed.

"As for your caretaker," Tsunade placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "I'm assigning Haruno Sakura." Shocked heads turned to the Hokage. Sakura's eyes were wide, Naruto's mouth was slightly agape, and Sasuke was giving the Hokage what looked like a death glare.

"Sakura will not only be able to treat to all your medical needs, but she is also one of the strongest and trusted ninjas I have." Sakura began to open her mouth in protest, but Tsunade was already at the doorway.

"Well, kids," then the door was shut behind her and it was just the former Team Seven alone again.

Sakura didn't know what to say. There were so many things she wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to ask, but where would she start? She started by letting go of Naruto's hand, and moving towards the clipboard at the foot of the bed. She had work to do.

"Broken arm, broken ribs, multiple stab wounds, low chakra levels…What the hell…" Sakura began running her eyes over her patient, "But you can be discharged tomorrow, so long as your vitals are stable." Sakura put the clipboard down and rubbed a hand over her face. She started walking towards the doorway, "I'll be back tomorrow to pick you up." Naruto's gaze followed her.

"Wait, Sakura-chan…"

"I'm tired. I don't want to be here anymore. We'll have time to deal with this mess later." The door slammed behind her.

Sakura ran straight home, and cried. She was so frustrated.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry, kind of short chapter! Remember, I'm kind of new to this whole fanfiction thing so please bear with me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Chapter 2! I tried to make it a little longer but I don't think it's longer by _that_ much. I just feel like these are good spot to cut the chapter. I feel like if I cut it too late then it'll be too long and there'll be too much going on in one chapter. I kind of also feel like this story is dragging along and nothing really interesting is happening, but that'll change soon! Just bear with me a little longer. I want to try to make the story sound as natural as possible, and I don't think that could work with a rushed story line. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

* * *

Naruto came to pick her up the next morning. The two walked in silence towards the hospital, still shocked by the previous day's events. When the duo arrived at Sasuke's door, Sakura stopped.

"Naruto…we should be happy, shouldn't we?" The pink-haired kunoichi looked down at the ground. Naruto's gaze followed hers.

"Yeah."

"I don't feel happy about this. I don't know how I feel about this. It's just so complicated." Naruto didn't know what to say. He wasn't usually the comforting type, and when he was, he never conveyed many words. So Naruto did what he thought would be best; he pulled his best friend into a hug.

"It's okay. We've been through worse."

Sakura nodded in Naruto's chest, and broke away. She let out a breath before opening the door. The two were greeted with Sasuke sitting at the edge of his bed and his black backpack next to him. He was out of hospital and into what Sakura assumed were his everyday clothes. Black pants, a sleeveless black shirt with a deep v-line, and a navy blue sash tied around his waist. He stood up and started putting on his sand colored cloak with one hand as he saw his former teammates enter the room. Sakura couldn't help but notice how much taller Sasuke got; just a little bit taller than Naruto, definitely a head taller than her.

"Morning, bastard." Naruto forced out a grin. Sakura never realized how thankful she was for Naruto until now. He was trying to make things normal, just as they were before. He had enough strength for the both of them. Sakura tried to follow Naruto's example.

"Are you ready to go, Sasuke?" Sakura forced herself to sound like her usual self. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her. So it took her seven years to drop the "-kun" suffix.

The Medic Ninja took some papers off the clipboard that was on the nightstand next to Sasuke's bed and then moved towards his backpack. Sasuke snatched it out of her reach before she could get to it.

"I may be injured, but I can still take care of myself." Sasuke glared at her.

"What the hell, Sasuke. She was just trying to help." Naruto started towards the pair when Sakura raised up a hand to stop him.

"It's fine, Naruto. Not a big deal." Sakura moved past Naruto and stood in the doorway, "Let's go, Sasuke. Naruto, I'll see you later." Naruto nodded as he watched the two leave.

Sasuke and Sakura were walking side by side with each other, but left half an arm's length of distance between them. She didn't want to invade Sasuke's space, and likewise, she didn't want Sasuke invading her space either.

"For the time being, you'll stay in my apartment with me. It's mostly to keep an eye on your injuries and…well, there's room for the both of us. I cleaned out the guest room yesterday." Sakura actually wasn't looking forward to living with the Uchiha. Seven years ago, her twelve-year-old self probably would have been jumping with joy, but things had changed.

Sasuke let out a "hn," letting his companion know that he understood. He wasn't looking forward to living with his former teammate as well, but he knew it was mostly so Sakura could keep an eye on him. Konoha couldn't trust him to live by himself.

Sakura walked into her apartment first and spun around towards Sasuke, "Well, it's not much, but it's home." Sakura allowed the raven-haired ninja to take a quick look at his surroundings, then gestured for Sasuke to follow, "Here's your bedroom."" The guest bedroom was right across the hallway from what Sasuke assumed was Sakura's room.

"Bathroom's down the hall. There are fresh towels in there already if you feel like showering," Sakura paused, "I guess you can start unpacking. I'm not sure how long you'll be staying here, but it'll definitely be longer than a couple of days," she looked away from Sasuke as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Sasuke stood in the doorway of his bedroom looking at Sakura. When did she get so lean and muscular? When did she stop looking like a twelve-year-old girl and like a woman? Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he focused on a particular spot on Sakura's neck. Where did that scar come from?

Sasuke's gaze lingered until green orbs met his onyx ones. Sakura couldn't help but feel the heat rush to her cheeks, and Sasuke took that as an opportunity to sneak into his bedroom. Sakura let out a sigh of relief as the door shut behind Sasuke, and she made her way to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

_I wonder what kind of food Sasuke likes? He probably doesn't even enjoy food. He's probably one of those people who just eat just to survive._ Sakura snorted to herself. _He probably just eats rice every day and can't cook at all._

Sakura found Sasuke standing next to the dining table, hair dripping wet with a towel around his shoulders, as Sakura set down their lunch. Pork katsudon for the both of them. She sat down and motioned for him to sit. Sasuke stared at her. Sakura stared back, trying to figure out what was running through Sasuke's mind. She shot him a puzzled look and began eating her lunch slowly. Sasuke followed her actions. Sakura hated this silence, but a part of her was scared to break it. A part of her was scared to find out if Sasuke would never accept Naruto and Sakura as his teammates again. A part of her was scared to find out if Sasuke was going to leave Konoha again. A part of her wanted to embrace Sasuke and never let him go. But another part of her just didn't care.

Sakura became irritated with all these emotions running through her mind and decided that attempting some type of conversation would be better than leaving her with her thoughts.

"So...What happened?" Sasuke looked up from his food at the sudden question. The two stared at each other and Sakura knew she wasn't going to get an answer from him anytime soon. She almost laughed at the thought that Sasuke didn't trust her. _Look at us_, she thought, _Two former teammates who can't trust each other enough to be out of each other's line of vision. _

The two finished their meals in silence and Sakura grabbed their plates. Sasuke silently followed her into the kitchen, and gently took the plates out of Sakura's hands.

"I'm not a helpless freeloader," Sasuke said in between scrubbing the plates. Sakura want to laugh at the sight of Sasuke washing dishes. Not only was he doing housework (which she could never picture him doing), but he was doing it with a broken arm. Sakura smiled to herself. Sasuke had always been proud, even with the smallest things. That would never change.

As Sasuke was finishing the dishes, Sakura started walking towards the front door, "Sasuke, we need to go to the market." Sasuke sighed and reluctantly walked towards the door. So he really was going to be under surveillance as much as possible.

The two of them arrived at the market and as Sakura picked up a basket, Sasuke took it out of her hands. Sakura smiled. Sasuke was pretty gentlemanly for a criminal. As expected of someone who was born into a prominent clan.

"Whatever you want, just get it. I don't know what foods you like so…" Sakura began filling the basket. Sasuke almost wanted to laugh. Didn't Sakura always boast about how she knew all of Sasuke's favorite foods when they were younger? Her and that other blonde girl were always fighting over him…

Sasuke dropped a bag of tomatoes in the basket.

"Ah, I totally forgot. You like tomatoes, huh." Sasuke shrugged. How could she forget that? He remembered that she always tried to give him bento boxes revolving around tomatoes…

But that was seven years ago. Sasuke looked at Sakura, who was quietly humming as she was placing more items in the basket. Who was this woman that he was looking at?

Sakura tried to ignore the fact that she knew Sasuke was staring at her.

_He's probably just thinking of ways to get rid of me and escape during the night._

After purchasing their groceries, the two of them went back home, as the sun was starting to set. Sakura started to prepare dinner while Sasuke watched from the dining table.

Sakura felt awkward as she set the plates down in front of Sasuke. She knew Sasuke was watching the whole time, and Sasuke didn't even seem to hide it. Sakura let her thoughts swirl around her head as the two of them began eating in silence.

She hated Sasuke. She absolutely hated Sasuke for leaving and breaking up their team. She hated him for breaking her heart the way he did that night. She hated him for what Naruto and her had to deal with after.

But every time she stole a glance at Sasuke, she felt her heart skip a beat. She couldn't shake off those feelings she once felt so strongly seven years ago. And as much as she wanted to hate Sasuke with all her heart, she couldn't. She didn't want to admit it, but there was obviously still a part of her that would always love him.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and looked up from his plate.

"I'm sorry for slapping you the other day. I wasn't thinking." Actually, Sakura wasn't sorry for slapping him, and thought he deserved a thousand more slaps across the face for what he had done. But now that Sasuke was here, she wanted the opportunity to repair the Team back together. Maybe she could change him and get him to stay here as a Konoha ninja. After all, It had always been Naruto's and her dream.

"Hn."

Sakura felt like punching him for his lack of a response. But then again, Sasuke was still Sasuke.

Silence again. What should she say? Sakura knew it was still too soon to be asking about what happened between Sasuke and his brother, and it might even be too soon to ask what happened during his time with Orochimaru. Konoha needed this information eventually, but for now, there was no rush.

"Can you cook?"

Sasuke briefly stopped his chopsticks that were halfway to his mouth. Of all the things to say, Sakura was asking him if he knew how to cook? Sasuke resumed eating.

"I mean, I just imagined you spending all those years living by yourself and you probably had to cook on your own…I doubt you'd be like Naruto and eat ramen every meal."

Sasuke scoffed. "Of course I know how to cook. I'm not as stupid as that idiot."

Sakura grinned. At least he didn't ignore her.

"Then you have to cook for me one day," Sakura softly said. The rest of dinner didn't feel as dreadful as it had before.

* * *

"Sasuke, I'm going to have to take a look at your wounds," Sakura sat next to Sasuke on his bed. Sasuke gave a small nod and took off his shirt. Sakura couldn't help but blush a little. She was still a nineteen-year-old girl, and it would be insane if she wasn't attracted to what was sitting in front of her. She noticed Sasuke's body was muscular and cut, but still lean. He always wore a sleeveless shirt, but Sakura never noticed how _nice_ Sasuke's arms were. Whatever that boy was doing during his training sessions, he was definitely doing it right.

"May I?" Sakura reached out to Sasuke's bandages and began undoing them. Sasuke wasn't used to this feeling – all the medical attention he had gotten previously was cold and quick to finish. Sakura's touch was slow, gentle, and warm. Sasuke felt a tingle in his stomach.

Sakura lightly ran her hands around Sasuke's wounds before her hands started glowing green with chakra. She guided her hands to Sasuke's broken arm and slowly started repairing it. Sasuke could feel her warm chakra seep into his body.

But as soon as Sasuke closed his eyes and really started to enjoy the feeling, the soothing sensation stopped. His eyes shot open to see that Sakura had retracted her hands from his arm and picked up a fresh roll of bandages. Even without the chakra, Sasuke thought Sakura's touch was still light and soothing when she re-bandaged him. When she was finished, Sakura stood up.

"I can't heal your arm completely in one go; your body just won't be able to handle it. Every day I'll heal it little by little while keeping an eye on your wounds so they don't become infected." Sasuke pulled his shirt over his head.

"Well, that's it for today. I guess I'll go to sleep now. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask or get it yourself." Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement.

After her shower, Sakura sleepily made her way to her bedroom and changed into her pajamas: a white spaghetti strap with red shorts. She crawled into bed and thought about the day's events. She didn't feel as hateful towards Sasuke as she did before, and at least Sasuke wasn't completely ignoring her, or treating her like trash. The two of them just needed time. Maybe Team Seven can really get back together and return to normal like she and Naruto had always dreamed of.

Sakura fell into a peaceful, dreamless slumber that night.

* * *

"Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke groaned.

"Sakura-chan!"

He could've sworn he heard that idiot's voice.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke heard a door slam and immediately forced his eyes open. What the _fuck_ was making that noise this early in the morning?

Sasuke opened his bedroom door just in time to see Naruto let himself in Sakura's bedroom and jump on her bed.

"Sakura-chan! Good morning!" Naruto grinned as he lied down next to Sakura. He pulled her into an embrace as the pink-haired kunoichi let out a sleepy moan. Naruto nuzzled the top of Sakura's head, "You're so cute in the morning!"

Sasuke noticed that Sakura woke up, yet she didn't fight Naruto's embrace. He remembered them holding hands at the hospital. What was up with them?

Sakura sat up and let out a huge yawn while stretching. Naruto couldn't help but grin at the sight and tackle her back down to the bed, nuzzling her neck.

"Naruto…stop," Sakura said sleepily, though with not much force or anger.

"I can't help it, you're so cute!"

Sasuke coughed loudly. Sakura pushed Naruto off her as she remembered that they weren't the only two in the apartment. Sasuke was standing in the doorway, one hand on his hip.

"What the hell are you doing here, bastard?" Naruto squinted his eyes at the dark-haired man.

Sasuke snorted, "I could ask you the same. This isn't your apartment. How the hell did you get in?"

"What the hell, this isn't your apartment either!" Naruto pulled a slightly dazed Sakura to his chest, "And Sakura-chan gave me the key to her apartment so that's how I got in! I have a key, so it's kinda like we share the place!" Naruto pulled out Sakura's apartment key and stuck out his tongue at Sasuke.

"Guys, stop. It's way too early for something like this." Sakura broke from Naruto's grasp and gave him a light hit on the shoulder. Sasuke rolled his eyes and muttered a "whatever" before going back to his room.

"Sakura-chan, you never told me that bastard was living with you!" Naruto pouted as Sakura began to get her clothes ready for the day.

"Well, it was the only solution we could think of at the time," Sakura lowered her voice, "No one trusts him enough to keep him on his own."

"Eh…I guess that's true..."

Sasuke pretended he didn't hear, but his ears were a lot better than Sakura gave him credit for. Sasuke was almost, just _almost_, a little hurt. Of course none of the other villagers trusted him. That much was obvious. He wasn't even sure of how much he trusted himself to be back in Konoha. But what almost hurt him was that Naruto and Sakura, the two people in the world who were always there for him no matter how bad of a friend he was in the past, agreed with the others. They didn't trust him.

Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted when a certain fox-like blond stuck his head through the doorway to Sasuke's bedroom, "Sakura-chan, when is this bastard going to be all healed up? I can't wait to show off my skills and pummel him to the ground." Naruto gave Sasuke his signature grin.

"I don't need to wait until I'm fully healed. I can _still_ beat you with a broken arm, idiot," Sasuke shot back.

Sakura sighed and stood next to Naruto in the doorway, "Give him a little time, Naruto. I'm healing his arm as fast as I can without putting his system into shock." Naruto scratched his head and Sasuke scoffed at how that idiot was still an idiot.

"But don't worry, Sasuke'll be fully healed soon, then you guys can beat the crap out of each other," Sakura beamed cheerfully. She would actually be looking forward to seeing those two spar after all these years.

"Heh heh, alright! Just let me know when Sasuke's well enough for a good beating!" Naruto hugged Sakura from behind, "Well, I've got a training session with Captain Yamato, so I'll see you two around!" And with that, Sasuke and Sakura were left alone again.

Sakura laughed to herself and shook her head. Leave it to Naruto to always make wherever he went livelier. Just as Sakura was going to go back to her room, Sasuke spoke up.

"Why the hell did you give that idiot a key to your apartment?"

Sakura turned around and smiled at Sasuke. She shrugged.

"I don't know. Naruto's my best friend, and I guess that's just what best friends do. It's kind of like letting him know that if he ever needs anything or just wants to come over and hang out, he's always welcome."

"But what if he loses it? Knowing Naruto, it's bound to happen some day and end up in the wrong hands."

Sakura looked at Sasuke straight in the eye, "I know he won't. I trust him."

As soon as Sakura left the room, Sasuke narrowed his eyes in confusion. When did his ex-teammates become so close? What happened to the Sakura that would hit Naruto every time he touched her, or reprimand him whenever he insulted Sasuke?

Sasuke knew it's been seven years since they were a team, and he knew that people were going to change in those seven years, but he still found it hard to wrap his head around. He knew he left them and never established any contact within those seven long years, but he still couldn't help but feel a little…left out.

* * *

For the next week Sasuke and Sakura felt into a routine. They would get up then eat breakfast. Sasuke would watch Sakura run errands, or they would do as much training as they could with Sasuke's injuries. Next, lunch, then Sasuke would watch Sakura clean the house, or watch her study from one of her medical books. Sometimes he would take care of Sakura's weapons (since his were still confiscated) while he would watch her cook dinner. Sasuke did a lot of watching. And he noticed all the little things Sakura did. He noticed how she would hum whenever she did chores, or the way her brows would furrow as she was studying, or the way her face lit up with joy whenever she quizzed herself and she was correct, or the way she would cheerfully greet all her their neighbors whenever they went out, or the way her muscles moved as she was training, or the way she would look away and tuck her hair behind her ear whenever she caught Sasuke looking at her. At first he thought living with Sakura would be an absolute pain – constantly harboring him with personal questions or clinging to him – but Sasuke once again realized that this wasn't the old twelve-year-old Sakura he used to know. He was living with a mature woman now.

Their healing sessions would go on as they did the first day. Sasuke would find comfort in Sakura's touch and relax when he felt her chakra enter his body. But as quickly as Sasuke relaxed under Sakura's touch, it would end. Sakura would say little then leave him with his privacy for the rest of the night.

Sakura tried to make nothing but small talk during that week. She knew Tsunade would want information sooner or later, and Sakura had some questions that needed to be answered as well, but she began to enjoy the light time she spent with Sasuke. She told herself there would be time in the future, but deep down, Sakura was scared to hear what really happened during those seven years. Sakura was scared to hear if Sasuke was really happy away from Konoha and had a life of his own, that he never missed Team Seven one bit. Sakura was scared that if she brought up the subject of his past, Sasuke would get irritated and try to leave.

That night after dinner, Sakura began her routine checkup on Sasuke. Sasuke relaxed as the medic's chakra soothed his arm, but Sakura stopped almost as soon as she started.

"You're all good now. Your arm's healed," Sakura began taking Sasuke's arm out of the sling.

"Like I said, I sped up the healing process. Normally it'd take a couple more weeks, but I pushed it a little this time." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Well, you _are_ an Uchiha and your body is extremely capable of yourself, so I thought it wouldn't be a problem," Sakura lightly laughed, "Good thing I was right. You're as good as new, and in just half the time."

Sasuke stretched his arm around to test it out. Just like Sakura said – good as new.

Sasuke looked down and turned his head towards Sakura. They were sitting just inches from each other.

"Thank you."

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. The last time Sasuke thanked her was on that dark, cold night. But this time was different. It was sincere and warm. Sakura smiled softly and let herself move closer to Sasuke so that their arms were touching. Sasuke didn't flinch away and Sakura felt relieved for that.

"You're welcome."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Sasuke was the first one to speak up at breakfast.

"You can call that idiot now so I can show him that he really doesn't know what he's going up against." Sakura giggled.

"So eager to fight Naruto?"

"I just want to get moving. I haven't been able to properly train in a while." Sakura nodded. She knew what it felt like to stay inactive for so long. They were shinobi – stop them from a good fight for too long and they'll go crazy.

"I get it. But Naruto's a bit busy right now. I hear he spends all day and night with Yamato and Kakashi-sensei training. Apparently he's trying to create a new jutsu or something." Sasuke let out a small "hn." Guess he'd have to stick with training by himself for a little longer.

"But I'm free. Why don't we spar, Sasuke? I've spent almost all my time locked up in this house as well. It'll be nice for us to get some fresh air." Sasuke looked up from his food and almost looked at Sakura like she was crazy. Sakura knew that look. Sasuke didn't think she was strong enough to fight him. He thought she wouldn't be any match for him.

"Tch. I know what you're thinking. I'm not some weak little girl anymore, Sasuke. You really don't know me now." Sakura became a little more violent as she was scooping up rice and fish into her mouth.

But Sakura was right. Sasuke really didn't know the kunoichi sitting in front of him anymore. Even though they were on the same team together when they were kids and they've already been living together for a week and a half, he barely knew anything about Sakura. Just that she was a skilled medic, she liked sweets, and she still carried around that cheerful atmosphere.

Sasuke shrugged, "Fine." He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't looking forward to sparring with Sakura. He wanted to see how much her fighting style has changed over time, and if she was on par with him and Naruto now.

* * *

The two of them made their way to Team Seven's old training ground. Sasuke stopped for a moment to remember the memories their team made there, until Sakura continued walking towards the middle of the field and called out to him.

"How about anything goes? Just nothing too crazy. First one to pin someone down for more than three seconds wins." Sakura pulled on her gloves and cracked her knuckles in anticipation. The battle didn't even start, but she could already feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She was going to show this arrogant Uchiha how much she grew.

Sasuke took his hands out of his pockets and began to widen his stance once Sakura finished. He made a mental note to himself not to harm the girl too much.

"Hn."

Sakura began the battle by lunging at her opponent with a kunai in her hand. Sasuke almost sighed because of how predictable Sakura could be, and side-stepped her attack. Sakura smirked and pretended to lose her footing, but her fist met the Earth and broke the ground around within a fifteen-feet radius. Caught in surprise, Sasuke jumped into the air and narrowed his eyes, beginning to analyze the situation. He smirked. Guess this was going to be a bit more interesting than he initially thought.

Sakura turned around and threw two kunai at Sasuke, and jumped into the air. Sasuke deflected the kunai with his own, his onyx eyes met with fierce emerald, and he only had enough time to bring his forearms in front of his chest, protecting it from Sakura's monstrous kick.

There was a crack, and as if he were a meteor falling from space, Sasuke was knocked straight into the ground. He felt the ground break beneath him and was forced to cough up some blood. Sakura landed right over Sasuke, her feet beside his hips, and sat right on top of him, straddling his hips. She pinned his shoulder's down and began to count.

"One…" Sasuke's eyes blinked open as he heard Sakura counting. He was _not_ going to let her win.

"Two…" Sasuke grunted and grabbed Sakura's forearms. She may have been strong, but she was light, and Sasuke was bigger. He threw the kunoichi off of him and to the side, causing Sakura let out a yelp and to skid into the ground.

Sasuke painfully forced himself up. He felt a sharp pain in his left arm and side. Probably from a fractured arm and a broken rib. He was shocked – and a little angry – that a kick from _Sakura_ of all people caused him these injuries.

He had to stop underestimating Sakura, and although didn't want to use his Sharingan, if the pink-haired kunoichi proved to be more than he thought, he had a feeling he might just have to.

Meanwhile, Sakura picked herself up and wiped some sweat off her face with the back of her hand. She was satisfied that she managed to land such a clean hit on Sasuke, but her brow slightly furrowed at the thought that it was probably because he was still underestimating her abilities as a ninja.

_'__Tch. So close.' _She straightened herself up and started analyzing the situation.

_'__I gotta start taking the defensive. I haven't seen anything of what Sasuke's capable of, and now that he knows what I can do, he can pull something unexpected to counter my attacks.' _Sakura readied herself to a wider stance, eyes locked to the Uchiha's.

_'__She's gonna try getting close…but I can't get too close to her, and can't get hit by another one of her hits.'_ Sakura wasn't going anywhere, so Sasuke took the opportunity to charge towards her. Once he got close enough, he jumped up, formed the seals for a Katon jutsu, and released an enormous fireball straight at Sakura. The kunoichi dodged the fire and jumped to the left, building up her chakra in her fist as she was expecting Sasuke to be in front of her.

She was right – Sasuke was waiting for her on the other side of the flames, but not close enough so she could hit him. Sakura made to punch the ground again until she was stopped by two shuriken whirling around her.

_'__You're not gonna try that old trick again.'_ Sasuke had released two shuriken with wires attached to them, wrapping around Sakura and locking her arms to her sides.

Sakura landed straight on her side and released a grunt. Using his infamous Uchiha speed, Sasuke ran to Sakura, flipped her on her back, and sat on top of her, pinning her shoulders.

"One…"

Sakura struggled under his grip and began forming chakra scalpels from her hands. She started to cut away at the wires.

"Two…"

_'__C'mon cut faster!'_

Sasuke paused and smirk. What an easy battle.

"Thr-"

"Wipe that smirk off your face you jerk!" Sakura mirrored Sasuke's previous actions and grabbed his forearms, but this time, with her chakra-enhanced hands. She pierced through his skin with her chakra scalpels.

Sasuke let out a small grunt of pain and retracted his arms from Sakura's shoulders. She brought her upper body up and pushed the heel of her hand towards Sasuke's face, intending to break his nose for a quick escape. He caught her wrist before it was too late, but by then, Sakura was bringing her other hand down towards Sasuke's shoulders. He caught her other wrist, leaving the two in a locked position.

Sakura let out a frustrated yell and knocked her forehead straight into Sasuke's nose.

_'__Looks like a big forehead really does have its advantages!'_

Though Sasuke briefly let go of Sakura's wrists from the shock of the blow, it gave her enough time to crawl out from under him and make an escape.

Sakura just needed to get close. She knew all the sensitive points on the body, and if she could get close enough, she could make a quick, clean, blow and finish this fight easily.

But getting close without getting pinned down was proving to be difficult.

Sasuke wiped the blood running from his nose and scoffed. He should just end this already.

He used his Uchiha speed and raced towards Sakura.

She was trained by Tsunade to observe others' movements and dodge them effectively, but how could she dodge an opponent she couldn't even _see?_

By the time she finished her thoughts, Sakura noticed a presence above her and looked up to Sasuke bringing his leg down.

Sasuke had used his full speed to jump above Sakura and dig his heel into her shoulder, sending her crashing into the ground.

Something cracked, and Sakura assumed it was her shoulder. Guess she wasn't using her left arm until she had a chance to heal it.

Sakura found herself face down in the ground, but only shortly, as Sasuke flipped her over and he straddled her hips. This time, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them over her head, making sure the medic nin couldn't move her hands to use her chakra scalpels.

Sakura cried in pain from her shoulder as Sasuke jerked her arms up. He almost flinched from her shout and released his hold, worried that she was in too much pain.

But he told himself it'll be over soon and she could heal herself. He started counting down.

"One…two…"

Sakura's jaw tightened and tried to wriggle her way out of Sasuke's grip, but it was no use. Sasuke had a death grip on her wrists and kicking out her legs from under her wasn't doing anything.

"Three."

Sasuke let out a deep breath and released his hold on Sakura. He looked at Sakura and a weird feeling boiled in his stomach. He just noticed how hard she was breathing, how the sweat trickled down her neck, and how her chest rose up and down with every breath. Sasuke's heart started beating faster…

…until Sakura hissed in pain.

Almost forgetting that he was still on top of her, Sasuke quickly got off of Sakura and began to feel slightly uncomfortable. Sakura propped herself up and noticed Sasuke was avoiding her gaze and…_was he turning red?_

A jolt of pain shot through her body again and Sakura was forced to focus her attention on her shoulder. Sasuke heard the humming of Sakura's healing chakra and managed to turn back to her.

"How is it?"

To Sakura, it sounded more like a statement than a question, but that's emotionless Sasuke for you.

"Heh. You definitely broke it in more places than one," she paused to take in a deep breath, "but I'll be fine." Sasuke nodded. He didn't plan on giving the kunoichi anything more than a few bruises, but he got a little carried away. Sasuke turned towards Sakura and his face scrunched up with pain. Sakura didn't let that go unnoticed.

"C'mon Sasuke, let me heal you up." Sakura made her way towards him and Sasuke put his hand up, signaling her to stop.

"Take care of yourself first. I'll be fine."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Men could be so stubborn when they tried to show off that they could handle the pain.

"And I'll be fine too. I already healed the worst of my injuries." Sakura's hands reached out to Sasuke before he caught them. There were purple bruises already forming around Sakura's wrists from where he had grabbed them. Was he really using that much force? Or was Sakura just really as delicate as he thought she was?

"Take care of these first." His onyx eyes locked with Sakura's emerald to convey how serious he was. He didn't want to be reminded of the fact that he hurt Sakura this badly, even if they were only sparring.

Sakura nodded and Sasuke only let go of her hands so she could heal them. Once she was finished, she sighed.

"_Now_ can you let me take a look at you?" Sakura inched closer to the raven-haired ninja, and this time he didn't do anything to stop her. Her chakra covered hands roamed around Sasuke's body, and he closed his eyes, relaxing under her familiar touch. She started with his ribs, and Sasuke could already feel the pain seeping away. Sakura then focused on his fractured forearm, silently scolding herself that she fractured the arm that _just_ healed.

But Sasuke didn't mind. In fact, he wouldn't ever mind receiving injuries or being in the hospital if it was Sakura healing him.

Sasuke jerked his eyes open at the end of his thought. What the _hell_ was he thinking? He sounded like a perverted old man. No shinobi should mind getting injured – that just meant more time away from training, and more time away from getting stronger.

But Sasuke's attention focused to Sakura once he felt her soothing chakra disappear. She was pouting and looking down at the ground.

"Guess I'm still no match for you, huh," she mumbled. Sasuke's gaze followed Sakura's averting eyes. She didn't want to look him in the eyes and see that condescending look on his face.

But as a matter of fact, Sasuke was rather impressed with his former teammate. She definitely wasn't the same girl from before, and could easily hold her own against other powerful ninja.

"Sakura."

Sakura lifted her head up to meet Sasuke's gaze, half-surprised that he responded to her, and half-surprised with his tone of voice. It was deep and serious, almost like a growl he would use when speaking to his enemies.

Sakura clenched her hands as she waited for what he had to say. As she waited to hear him tell her how weak she was, how much she needed to train and get better…

"You've improved."

His voice had softened, and Sakura's eyes widened with surprise. She stared into those black pools and just knew that Sasuke meant every word he said. Her heart soared with happiness.

Acting faster than she thought, Sakura leaned against Sasuke's arm, tipping her head towards him.

"Thanks."

Sasuke shifted his gaze down towards Sakura. Her mouth was curved into one of the biggest smiles he'd ever seen, reflecting the genuine happiness she felt on the inside, and he could _feel_ her warmth radiating off her into his body. Though they had made physical contact plenty of times before during their healing sessions and their spar, there was something different about this time. Something good.

Although a bit shocked on the inside that Sasuke didn't try to push her off, Sakura ignored it and decided to soak in the moment. Here they were, two ninjas bruised, bloodied, and beaten to a pulp, yet everything just felt so…_right_.

She sighed.

Maybe she could truly, wholly forgive Sasuke.

* * *

After the two returned home, Sasuke couldn't help but notice Sakura's mood had greatly improved since he first arrived at her apartment. There was an added bounce to her step, and she was constantly humming, always with a smile on her face. He watched her from the couch as she scurried about the apartment – re-sorting her books, dusting her bookshelf, rearranging picture frames on various surfaces…

"Sakura."

Sakura almost shivered as she heard her name. Sasuke had always had that effect on her; his voice was deep and silky, yet it sent vibrations through her body. She turned to him and sent him a smile.

"Hm?"

"Stop running around. We just came back from sparring. You should rest." Sasuke's eyes were still locked with Sakura's.

The busy bee smiled at Sasuke's concern for her. She set her duster down and sat next to him on the couch. After turning on the television, Sakura tilted her head back and let out a deep sigh. Since the sparring partners came home, Sakura was still giddy about Sasuke's earlier compliment. There was so much energy bundling as a result of her happiness that she had to move around, otherwise she felt like she'd bounce off the walls. Call her a child, but Uchiha Sasuke gave her a compliment – no matter how small an outsider thought it would be. She still wasn't at Naruto and Sasuke's level yet – she knew that – but she was getting closer, and Sasuke would treat her more as an equal.

Suddenly, Sakura felt more at ease around the Uchiha.

The two watched TV in silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence. Sakura could feel a warmth radiating from it; it was the type of silence two friends could share because they were just that comfortable with each other.

Suddenly a stomach rumbled.

Sasuke looked at the culprit, who's face was suddenly turning three shades darker than her hair color. She let out an embarrassed giggle.

"Whoops! Guess I didn't realize how hungry I am." Sakura looked over at her clock. "When did it get so late? I'll make start making us something to eat. Sorry Sasuke, you must been hungry too." She quickly got off the couch until something stopped her.

Sasuke had grabbed her by the wrist.

"Let's just go out. You're exhausted."

Sakura swore to herself those obsidian eyes staring at her could make anyone do anything they wanted them to. Still locked under the Uchiha's stare, Sakura slowly nodded and Sasuke followed her off the couch. It wasn't until he let go of her wrist and opening the front door did Sakura snap out of her trance.

"Coming?" Sasuke raised an irritated eyebrow.

Sakura furiously nodded and follow him out the door.

* * *

The streets of Konoha were a little more crowded than usual, and seemed to illuminate even brighter. Sasuke inwardly scowled; he hoped he didn't have to see anyone he or Sakura knew. Though the Uchiha has been back for a week and half, he still hadn't made any plans to see his former classmates, and he was hoping to keep it like that.

Because Sasuke was so tall and possessed such a presence for people to get out of his way without him trying, he was able to navigate through the streets easily. Sakura, on the other hand, was getting washed away by the crowds – a cherry blossom being carried away by a sea of people.

As Sakura was struggling through the crowd, she noticed the Uchiha symbol growing smaller and smaller. She extended her hand as if she was trying to catch the symbol from flying away.

"Sasuke–!" The red and white fan disappeared and Sakura was certain that they had gotten separated until she felt someone grab her wrist. She gasped in surprise and looked up to see onyx orbs piercing into her emerald ones.

"Keep up, otherwise you're going to get lost."

Sakura, paralyzed from Sasuke's gaze, couldn't move until she was jerked by her arm. Before she knew it, she was trailing behind Sasuke, who still had a firm grasp on her wrist.

"Sasuke, where-?" The taller boy came to a sudden stop, and Sakura hit her nose right in the middle of Sasuke's back. He turned to face the entrance of a ramen shop.

"We're eating here." Sasuke didn't give time for Sakura to protest before he walked inside the shop. Sakura let out a huff of air and shook her head. What could she do at times like these? Sasuke was in total control.

After the two were seated, it seemed as if Sasuke looked at the menu for hardly half a minute before he was ready. Sakura slightly pouted.

"You know, if you wanted ramen, we could've just gone to Ichiraku. It's cheaper, plus Naruto and I are longtime customers so we probably could've gotten a discount…" Sasuke looked at Sakura with indifference and called the waitress, as if he had ignored what she had said.

After ordering, Sasuke placed his hands under his chin and closed his eyes. The place was quiet, and the whole reason why he chose this place instead of Ichiraku was because he didn't want to run into anyone he knew…especially that loud-mouthed idiot.

Sakura's eyes softened as she looked at Sasuke. Even though he looked deep in thought, he still looked peaceful. It isn't often that Sasuke lets down his cold-hearted demeanor in public, so Sakura took in the rare sight. There was a silence, but once again, Sakura wasn't bothered by it. It was a comfortable silence.

Sasuke didn't notice until now how keen Sakura could be when it came to others. He knew she understood that the silence didn't need to be broken, and that the two were enjoying it. Definitely different from how she would have acted in the past. She would always ruin perfect moments by being loud and annoying, or clinging on to him, but now, she's mature. She understands.

Sasuke's lips almost turned upward into a smile until his thoughts were suddenly interrupted with a loud voice.

"Woah!"

Sasuke's face twisted with annoyance and his eyes shot open towards the loud voice. Sakura jumped at the voice as well, and turned her attention to where Sasuke's was.

"Sasuke, is that really you?!"

Sasuke glared at the owner of the voice. An ex-classmate, but what was his name again? And what the _hell_ was that big white thing standing next to him?

"Hi Kiba, good evening to you too." Sakura rolled her eyes but then gave Kiba a cheerful smile.

So that white thing was that little dog. Sasuke just closed his eyes again, hoping the annoyance would go away. He never talked to Kiba much in their genin days, but he remembered that he could be just as loud and obnoxious as Naruto…

"Hi Sakura!" Kiba returned the friendly smile until he saw Sasuke close his eyes again. "Yo, Sasuke! I'm talking to you! Remember me? It's been years, man! I heard you were back in the village, but I didn't believe it since I never saw you. But here you are, the Great Uchiha in the flesh!" Kiba sat next to Sakura, across from the other boy. Sasuke's face slightly twitched from annoyance.

The food finally arrived and Sasuke finally met Kiba's gaze, giving him an icy stare. Then he proceeded to eat his ramen as if his ex-classmate wasn't there.

"Geeze! Still that icy Sasuke, huh? Some things never change!" Kiba threw his arm over Sakura's shoulders as she began to eat her noodles as well. Sasuke sent him a quick glare, but Kiba didn't seem to notice. He couldn't help but notice how comfortable Sakura was around Kiba. Were they…?

But just like before, Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by Inuzuka.

"So what're you two doing eating out alone anyways?" Kiba's mouth then fell agape as an idea rushed to him. "Don't tell me you guys are on a date?"

Sakura almost spit out her noodles then pouted at him. "Of _course_ it's not a date. What's so wrong about getting dinner together?" Sakura stuffed some more noodles in her face in a Naruto-like manner. "Besides, Sasuke's not my type." She playfully winked at Kiba.

Inside Sasuke, something twitched. He almost asked what would make Sakura think that he "wasn't her type" until he remembered all the times he rejected her in during their childhood. But it wasn't like the Inuzuka was any more of her type than him, so what was that wink for?

Sasuke felt himself boiling on the inside, but kept his face blank, acting as if he had never heard Sakura or that loudmouth's comment. He was almost as bad as Naruto.

Kiba smirked. "Of course you wouldn't go out with this guy. Not after all these years. You know you're too good for him anyways, Sakura!" He said half-sarcastically, before giving Sakura a pat on the back and Sasuke a wide grin. Sasuke glared at the Inuzuka.

_'Scratch that previous thought. This guy is probably worse than Naruto…'_

"Yeesh, how scary. Well I just saw you guys through the window and couldn't believe my eyes so I had to come in. But now that I know Sasuke's here in the flesh, I gotta tell everyone!" Kiba ruffled Sakura's hair before getting up. "Nice talking to you Sakura," he nodded towards Sasuke. "I'll see you guys around!" Akamaru gave a low bark, and the couple was once again left to their silence.

Sasuke sighed. Having his presence in Konoha known by his ex-classmates was one of the last things he wanted to happen.

"Sorry about that, Sasuke." Sakura scratched the back of her head. "Kiba can be a little…"

"Annoying."

Sakura just giggled and went to finishing her ramen. Sasuke noticed that she wasn't even bothered the slightest by that rude interruption. He knew Sakura was always friendly towards others, but when did she get friendly with Inuzuka? Last time he remembered they barely talked.

Sasuke inwardly shook his head to clear his mind of his thoughts and noticed that both his and Sakura's bowls were empty. He headed over to pay, Sakura trailing behind him. As the cashier rang their bill up, Sasuke noticed Sakura fumbling to find her wallet, then struggling to find the right amount of bills to pay for her half.

How annoying.

He slammed a bill down on the counter, clearly enough to pay for the both of them, then silently walked out of the restaurant.

"Wait, Sasuke!" Sakura broke into a light jog until she could catch up with him. Even his normal walking pace had hints of his infamous Uchiha speed.

Sakura folded her arms as she walked alongside him. "I have my own money, you know. You didn't have to pay for me."

Sasuke just grunted in response, until he found the stubborn kunoichi blocking his path with her hands on her hips.

"I'm serious, Sasuke. I don't like feeling indebted to people."

Sasuke scoffed. Sakura, feeling indebted after that one meal? How did she think he felt after living in her house without paying a cent?

Sasuke stared straight into Sakura's eyes.

"It's really no problem." Sakura's brow furrowed as Sasuke walked past her. She sighed, then stalked behind Sasuke.

"You do enough for me anyways."

Sakura's head perked up out of confusion from what she heard. Was that the Great Uchiha Sasuke, expressing some form of gratitude towards her? Something bubbled within Sakura and her face suddenly lit into a smile. She clasped her hands behind her back and unconsciously started humming.

Body reacting before his mind could think, Sasuke was shocked at himself when he found himself slowing his pace to meet Sakura's. The silence was filled with the cheerful kunoichi's humming, and Sasuke couldn't find one fiber in his body that found it annoying.

It was actually rather enjoyable.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura were standing in a position familiar to the both of them – Sakura washing the dishes, while Sasuke stood on her left, drying them. Breakfast had been a simple meal of rice, miso, and fish, re-instituting their daily routine that was broken only once to go out for dinner the previous night. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but was cut short when there was a knock at the door.

"Wonder who that could be this early in the morning…" she muttered as she walked towards the door. Sasuke followed her out of the kitchen and leaned on a wall in the living room, his body facing the door.

Sakura opened the door and her lips lifted into a smile as she saw a familiar face standing in front of her. He was holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Hi Sai. Come on in." The pale man followed Sakura inside the house and his eyes flickered to Sasuke.

"So it's true, Ugly. That traitor really is living with you." His lips were painted upward with his infamous smile, facing Sasuke, who's eyes were narrowed.

He knew he was a traitor to Konoha, but it was strange when someone voiced their opinion out loud in front of him. It was even stranger that someone he barely knew, someone who didn't know his story, thought that of him without a single moment of hesitation.

But then again, Sasuke knew he deserved it.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched at Sai's comment, but kept her smile. That was Sai for you – blunt as ever even in the presence of a feared Uchiha. She hastily switched the subject.

"What are those?" Sakura nodded towards the flowers Sai was holding.

"Oh, I ran into Ino before I came and she told me to bring these to you. She said the bouquet is a gift from the both of us. Ino thinks these flowers will make all that time you spend in this apartment more bearable, but I don't see how these would help." Sai shrugged as he handed Sakura the flowers, who in return, gave him a light, affectionate squeeze on the arm.

Sasuke's eyes were still narrowed at the interaction between the two. If Sai was Sasuke's replacement, does that mean he replaced him in more ways than as just a teammate?

He inwardly snorted at himself for thinking of something that stupid. Even if Sai did replace him, he shouldn't have cared one bit.

Yet, Sasuke felt a tiny knot twisting in stomach.

Sakura's eyes flickered to Sasuke. He hadn't moved, but his body looked a bit more tense.

"Sai, why don't you sit down and I'll get some tea going? Sasuke, you sit too. You're just making everyone feel uncomfortable by standing there all creepily in the corner." As she was walking to the kitchen, Sakura made a mental note to ask Sai about his run-in with Ino later. Did he just _happen_ to run into her, or did he intentionally go see her? A small smirk appeared on her face.

Sai sat at the table and realized that he didn't mind the traitor's presence in the corner, away from the conversation; he actually welcomed it.

As the former Team 7 member made his way to sit across from him, Sai felt his stomach tighten, which he could only associate with the feeling of discomfort. He gave a blank stare to Sasuke, and although he knew he was welcomed into Team 7's little family, he couldn't help but feel like he was a copy looking at an original.

His pink-haired teammate returned with a pot of tea and some snacks, and Sai felt his stomach slightly unknotting. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this uncomfortable in someone else's presence, or this uncomfortable in general. Sai decided it was best if he kept up his faux smile.

However, Sakura's brow slightly furrowed. She could tell the difference between Sai's fake smile and his genuine one. Her eyes flickered to her ex-teammate, who's face reflected indifference, though his body did not.

"I don't think you two have properly met. Sai, Sasuke. Sasuke, Sai." She nervously took a sip of her tea and silently scolded herself for being as nervous as she was. Having Sasuke and Sasuke's initial replacement in the same room should _not_ have made her this uncomfortable. After all, Team 7 had openly welcome Sai into their family, once they got over all his initial quirks, of course.

Sakura blinked her thoughts away and quickly asked, "So Sai, what's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to see how you were doing. We haven't seen each other in a while." Sai paused and sipped his tea. Ever since Sasuke arrived in Konoha, Sakura had been busy keeping watch over him, which made Naruto find a new distraction. Thus, leading to time away from Team 7 and their training sessions.

"But there's more. The Hokage wants to see you and Sasuke in the afternoon." He flickered his eyes towards Sasuke to see his reaction. But as suspected, he stayed indifferent.

Sakura's brow furrowed. "Probably to talk about what's going to happen to him, huh." Sakura had to admit that Sasuke was being treated very lightly since he came back to Konoha, but she also had to admit that she was slightly scared of what him punishment would be. She wanted him to pay for what he had done, but Sasuke was still her friend – her teammate – and she didn't want anything too drastic to happen to him.

She shot him a worried look and in response, he just folded his arms.

"Whatever the council's gonna do, they're gonna do it. There's no reason for you to worry about it." Sai nodded in agreement and placed a hand on his teammate's shoulder.

"Well, I'll let you two get prepared for today." Sai stood up. "See you, Ugly. Sasuke."

After Sai left, Sakura glanced towards Sasuke but found him already heading back to his room. She sighed.

_'__Might as well get some meditation in to concentrate and calm myself down before the meeting…'_

* * *

The door to the Hokage's office opened before Sakura could even bring her hand to knock. Although she was expecting most, if not all, of the village council inside, Sakura saw that the room was left with its usual inhabitants: Tsunade and Shizune.

Sakura gave a deep bow before the Godaime. "Tsunade-sama." She nodded at Shizune in acknowledgment. "Shizune-san."

Sasuke stood with his hands in his pockets and a stoic expression, masking whatever he was thinking underneath.

The Godaime scanned Sasuke up and down, and then rested her chin on her hands.

"Uchiha Sasuke," she said firmly, "We have deemed your actions over the past week as no threat to Konoha. After evaluating the situation, the village council has spoken, and decided." There was a pregnant pause.

"Your punishment for your crimes against Konoha will be carried out lightly, as long as you decide to cooperate with the Leaf Village." Sasuke raised his eyebrow.

"You will only be set on probation as long as you tell us everything we ask you for. That includes information about Orochimaru, information about other Sound ninjas, information on Akatsuki, and even information on Uchiha Itachi." Tsunade noticed something flicker in Sasuke's eyes as his brother's name was mentioned.

"If you fail to comply or tell us the truth, then there will be a far worse punishment in store for you. A punishment originally assigned to a high class criminal such as yourself."

Sakura hoped no one heard her gulp.

_'__Execution.'_

Sasuke nodded nonchalantly in response. There was no problem with what the village wanted; he was done with Orochimaru and he was done with his brother. He had no reason to keep any of that information away from the Leaf.

"Also," Tsunade added, "since you will be under probation, you'll be under watch at all times."

Sasuke had to suppress a sigh. He knew the Leaf still couldn't trust him, but it was going to be annoying having someone spy on him all the time.

"Which is why I am ordering you to continue staying with Haruno Sakura until I say otherwise. However, there will still be ANBU forces keeping an eye out even if you can't see them, so don't think that you can do whatever you want when you are left alone." The Godaime leaned back in her chair, waiting for a response.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes while Sakura's widened. Though it seemed as Sasuke wasn't completely against the time he was spending with Sakura, the two of them knew it was only temporary. Sakura was dreading to know what Sasuke thought now that he had to stay for an indefinite amount of time. He would definitely be unhappy with the situation.

But to her surprise, Sasuke remained indifferent. Once again, he nodded in response.

The dark-haired man raised an eyebrow at the Hokage, silently asking if there was anything else.

Reading his gestures perfectly, Tsunade responded, "That is all. You two are dismissed."

_'__Finally.'_ Sasuke began to make his way out the door when Tsunade spoke up again.

"Sakura, wait. I need to speak to you."

Sasuke's ears perked up and he stopped in the doorway. Sakura's bright eyes snapped into full focus on the Hokage.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"I have a mission for you. It's not a big one, and not difficult, but just something I trust you to do." Tsunade handed Sakura a manila file.

"The Kazekage will be in Konoha on an official visit and I want you to be his official escort. I would have assigned Naruto since he's on rather good terms with the Kage, but Naruto is much too irresponsible to be escorting someone of this importance." Sakura slightly smiled at the thought of Naruto on official business such as escorting a Kage, even if he _was_ friends with Gaara.

"That's why I'm choosing you. I know you're on rather good terms with the Kage after that mission involving the Akatsuki, and you're one of the few ninjas I fully trust." The Hokage's eyes flickered to the man still standing in the doorway. "Don't worry about Sasuke when you're gone, remember, he'll be kept under ANBU watch at all times."

Sakura's face reflected the determination she felt on the inside and nodded. "I understand." Tsunade nodded slightly in response.

"Good." She motioned for the two to be dismissed and sank back in her chair, taking a sip of sake. Tsunade's watchful eye definitely noticed Sasuke slightly tense at the mention of Sakura's mission and who she would be escorting – which was the exact reason why Tsunade assigned Sakura to keep watch over him.

Deep down, she knew Sakura would be the only one to change him.

The only one to truly bring Uchiha Sasuke back.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Longer chapter, and though I still think things are moving quite slowly, they're slowly progressing as well. I also love writing (and reading) Jealous!Sasuke (even if it's very slight in this chapter) but hopefully things didn't seem too out of the blue or out of character. Updates will probably be coming slower, however, since before I was slightly ahead with the story, but now this most recent chapter is all I've got written out so far. Thanks for being patient!


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